Problem with front facing camera

I've had this lg Aristo for a little more than a year, no previous owner. One of the tipping points in choosing this phone was the camera, which i love and use all the time. This next part may be hard to believe, but true...I very rarely use the front facing camera...maybe a half dozen times in video chats with my grandson. I do not take selfies, or anything else with the ff camera. That said, could someone tell me why it turns on at random times, remains on for a few moments and then shuts down? I have checked settings, app permissions, and tried a soft reset. Have not tried full factory reset yet...but may do so yet. As of now, I have tape over the sensor which has not completely stopped the problem, only kept it from occurring as often. Any advice you could give would be greatly appreciated.